State Environment Minister Nilesh Cabral's argument indefence of double-tracking has absolutely no merit and substance and is only adiscreet attempt to play bluff. The minister's assurance of capping coalhandling at MPT is an absurd and hollow attempt to douse the flames of protestand has no firm basis. Moreover, with people's anger mounting, the governmentis only taking this as a prestige issue by showing defiance of taking the threeprojects to their logical conclusion.
Cabral proposes to take a written undertaking from theCentre that coal transportation will not exceed the current load when it isclearly mentioned in the Sagarmala report that the objective of double-trackingis to facilitate the transportation of 137 million tonnes of coal per annum viaMPT. Cabral points out that the report was prepared for the entire country andthat the Goa government is in a position to take its own decision. To propose acap on coal transportation at this stage is impractical because the parametersare clearly defined. Can Cabral explain how he is going to go about that job ofgiving conditional access, much after the State has given its green signal?
For argument sake, even if we are to go with the beliefthat the Centre gives a written undertaking to cap the coal transportation atMPT, what is the time-frame of this capping? And what is the guarantee thatthis would be honoured in the times to come? It is the common man whose lifewill take a beating. Years later, political parties will play the blame game,and some politicos will watch the fun from their armchairs.
History doesn't back Cabral's claims of capping coalhandling at MPT. Lest we forget, JSW was reported to have exceeded itscoal-handling by 25 per cent in 2012-13 which shot up by 35 per cent and 46 percent respectively in the following two years. Quantitively, from the 4.125million tonnes it was permitted, the company ended up handling 10.112 milliontonnes in 2016-17. In January 2016, JSW and Adani were asked to scale down coalhandling of coal by 25 per cent after the air quality dropped far belowpermissible limits. Can the government explain how companies were allowedexcess coal handling when people in and around the port town were crying hoarseday in and out and facing serious health hazards?
If numbers can be fudged, authorities can feign ignoranceand the government remain in denial; then it is criminal to convince peoplethat only 'aache din' will chug along the new tracks in the years to come.Goans have had enough experiences with coal, and no matter the promise of asecure transportation process, it is the people of Goa who will have to bearthe brunt at some point in time. The companies will go about their business, asmuch as the government will get on with their job.
